But if your car can drive itself, this may soon change. People won’t have to worry about the “designated driver,” and can even drink while in the vehicle itself.

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A helpful diagram from Morgan Stanley. That’s a whole lot of time spent driving that could be spent drinking instead.

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Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley points out we’re already beginning to see this happen, in the form of ride-hailing services like Uber, which has been linked to lowering rates of drink-driving in cities where it operates.

Historically, the financial services firm’s analysts wrote, the attitude towards booze and cars has been “I can’t drink because I have to drive,” but this is now shifting to “I can drink and someone else will drive me home.”

From there, it’s a relatively one more leap to what driverless cars promise: “I can drink while I’m driving because I’m not actually driving.”

Morgan Stanley estimates that the tech could create an extra $56 billion in value for the alcohol industry, and a 0.8% increase in its overall 10-year compound annual growth rate.

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Analysts predict people will have at least one drink more a week because of self-driving cars.

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Morgan Stanley

This is all, of course, contingent on regulators allowing driverless vehicles onto their streets. Right now, trials are being conducted around the globe by companies ranging from Uber to Tesla – but a driver typically has to remain behind the wheel, ready to take control if the need arises.

It’s a big leap from there to full autonomy so safe the “driver” can get boozy, and it won’t happen overnight, for cultural as much as technical reasons. But that’s the end game for many companies developing autonomous vehicle technology.

Of course, the tech isn’t just a cause for celebration for alcohol companies and their clientele. It will also save lives – and likely tens of billions of dollars.